Wire loom with bobbinless weft inserting member

ABSTRACT

A loom for weaving wire cloth in which a supply of weft wire is provided at each side of the loom and a gripper-type shuttle is picked back and forth across the loom and draws weft wires alternately from said supplies. In each end position of the shuttle it is moved transversely to the picking direction thereof and the transverse movement is employed to release the shuttle from the weft wire last inserted and to connect the shuttle to the next weft wire to be inserted and to cut off the weft wire connected to the shuttle between the shuttle and the loom.

United States Patent Rieker et al.

[451 Jan. 25, 1972 WIRE LOOM WITH BOBBINLESS WEFT INSERTING MEMBER Inventors: Adolf Rieker, Reutlingen; Rudolf Bfiklen,

Stuttgart, both of Germany Assignee: Hermann Finckh Metalltuch-und Maschinenfabrilk, Reutlingen, Germany Filed: Dec. 29, 1969 Appl. No.: 888,169

Related US. Application Data Continuation of Ser. No. 708,258, Feb. 26, 1968, abandoned.

Foreign Application Priority Data Field of Search ..139/122-127 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,140,731 7/1964 Jones 139/126 3,163,184 12/1964 Cherpin ..139/125 3,347,283 10/1969 Bartosek et a1. 139/122 W 3,417,792 12/1968 Gurney "139/125 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,216,556 11/1959 France ..139/126 1,383,420 11/1964 France ..139/126 Primary ExaminerHenry S. Jaudon Attorney-Walter Becker [5 7] ABSTRACT A loom for weaving wire cloth in which a supply of weft wire is provided at each side of the loom and a gripper-type shuttle is picked back and forth across the loom and draws weft wires alternately from said supplies. In each end position of the shuttle it is moved transversely to the picking direction thereof and the transverse movement is employed to release the shuttle from the weft wire last inserted and to connect the shuttle to the next weft wire to be inserted and to cut off the weft wire connected to the shuttle between the shuttle and the loom.

13 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENIED m2 5 m2 SHEET 2 OF 3 1a 19 3o 29 2827 A 17 i M I 30 29 2a 27 fa Fig. 4 34 Inventors;

PATENTEDJAN25'197Z 3.636989 SHEEI 3 OF 3 l N VENTORS ALDOF RIEKER, RUDOLF BOKLEN WIRE LOOM WITH BOBBHNLESS WlEF'll IINSERTING MIEWER This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 708,258, filed Feb. 26, 1968, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a wire weaving loom with bobbinless weft insert device. With wire weaving looms, the insertion of the weft wires is a particularly difiicult problem because a fine wire as necessary for wire fabrics used on machines for the paper industry is far more difficult to guide and to insert than is the case with textile fibers, and also because with metallic cloths for paper making machines frequently particularly large weaving widths, i.e., weft strokes, have to be carried out which at present may amount to more than 8 yards. Even though with the difficult processing of wires and with the long weft strokes and in view of the thus frequently necessary exchange of the shuttles, the employment of gripper shuttles would appear to be advantageous, a solution to this problem has heretofore not been realized.

With heretofore known wire weaving looms with bobbinless weft insert device, as disclosed for instance in German Pat. No. 639,913, this weft insert device is firmly linked to a pivotable lever and can be introduced into the shed only up to the middle of the weaving width where the thus inserted wire is taken over by a shuttle insert device from the other side and is by means of a second tiltable lever completely guided through the entire path. This device, however, is with the great weaving widths so expensive and so awkward in operation that it has not been adopted in practice.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a wire weaving loom which will be able to use a gripper shuttle known in connection with textile weaving looms and beaten through the shed in a free floating manner.

It is another object of this invention to provide a wire weaving loom as set forth above which will make it possible to employ a thin weft wire to be woven by means of a gripper shuttle beaten through the shed in a free floating manner over great weaving widths without employing the heretofore necessary tiltable shuttles which require considerable time and involve high costs.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is an isometric view of a gripper shuttle just beaten through the shed and arriving at its end position, said shuttle still holding the weft wire ply-crossed by said shuttle in clamped condition.

FIG. 2 is a top view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view similar to that of FIG. 2 at the end of a transverse displacement of the gripper shuttle in the direction of the arrow A.

FIG. 4 shows a top view of a further phase of movement, namely at the end of the return movement of the gripper shut tie in the direction of the arrow B to its starting position corresponding to FIGS. l and 2.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view similar to that of FIG. I. and showing further structure including alternate or mirror positioning thereof.

In solving the problems underlying the present invention, the invention starts with the finding that the above mentioned heretofore unsolved problems are to a considerable extent dependent on the shape of the gripper device and the manner of actuating the same.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention suggests a design according to which as weft insert device there is employed a gripper shuttle with gripping device as known in connection with textile weaving looms, said gripper shuttle being beaten through the shed in a free floating manner. The said gripping device, however, is equipped with a pair of wire clamps coupled to each other,

said wire clamps being shiftable from an opening of one clamp to a closing of the other clamp. One of said wire clamps is in tended for one weft wire fed in one direction and to be released at the end of the weft stroke, whereas the other wire clamp is intended for the weft wire to be grasped at said point and under tension from the preceding weft and to be cut off after it has been grasped. The gripping device on the loom at both sides of the loom has associated therewith actuating devices which comprise wire guiding means and abutments in such an arrangement that at the end of a movement of the shuttle in a direction transverse to the length of the shuttle and toward said abutment, the pair of wire clamps of the gripping device will be shiftable by abutments from releasing one weft wire from one clamp to a clamping of the other weft wire in the other clamp while, with subsequent reverse movement of the shuttle, the said other clamp weft wire is cut ofi from its enclosed portion.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the wire fabric being woven is in each of the figures shown on the right-hand side thereof at 10 and consists of the warp wires Ill and 112 spread apart so as to form successive sheds and of the weft wires 13 fed from one side and of the weft wires ll4 fed from the other side and arranged in change therewith. With the exception of a breast beam 115 of the stationary loom frame and with the exception of a portion B6 of the sley, the loom itself is not shown. For purposes of beating up the wire weft of each pick, the sley is moved in the direction of the arrow A and is subsequently moved back to its starting position in the direction of the arrow B. Riding on the sley 16 is a gripper shuttle 17 which each time at the end of the pick rests on said sley in the illustrated manner. The end of the pick is determined by a picker stick 1% provided on the sley 116 and a picker 119 resting on said picker stick 12 By means of picker 119 at each end of the sley, the shuttle 17 is reciprocated through successive sheds.

The illustrated parts, with the exception of the shuttle 17 and the elements arranged thereon, including one wire feeding device each on both sides of the loom, are arranged in the same manner and as an image to each other. The drawings, however, show the various elements on one side only. The wire feeding devices are not shown. In addition to the picker stick 18 on sley l6 and the picker 19, each side of the loom has arranged thereon an feeding device 20 which will be described further below.

Referring first to the gripping device 22 which is provided on the shuttle 17, it will be noted that one side surface of the shuttle 17 is equipped with a rail 23 which, according to the specific embodiment shown in the drawing, is screwed onto said side surface by means of screws 24. From the said rail 23 there protrude two jaws 25a, 2512 which extend approximately perpendicularly to said rail 23 and toward! the actuating device 20. These jaws are designed in the manner of troughs having associated therewith additional jaws 26a, 26b in the manner of cutting edges which form angled off portions of a tiltable lever 26. This tiltable lever 26 is pivotally mounted on the side surface of the shuttle 17 in the central area thereof. The pivot 27 of said lever 26 extends through the rail 23 and the body of shuttle 17 which latter in this area has a cutout 17a. Within this cutout l7a there is tiltably arranged a. crank-arm 28 which is coupled to the pivot 27. The free end of said crank-arm 28 carries a roller 29 which cooperates with the two wedgeshaped surfaces 30a provided at the end of a spring-loaded pushrod 3b. The spring, which is not shown and is located in a chamber of the shuttle l7, presses the pushrod 3ft against the roller 29 so that this roller engages either one or the other of the two wedge-shaped surfaces 30a whereby either one jaw 26a or the other jaw 26b is pushed into the respective trough 25a, 25b pertaining thereto. In this interengaging condition, the two pairs of jaws, which may also be called gripper projections, form a clamp for a wire passed therebetween. The ten sion of the spring acting upon the pushrod 30 is so selected that by pressure exerted upon the open upper jaw, for instance 26b in FIG. ll, through the intervention of the roller 29 and the wedge-shaped surface of the pushrod 30,. the pushrod 30 can be pushed back so that after passing over the edge of the wedge-shaped surface, the spring instantaneously pushes the pushrod 30 again forward whereby the lever 26 is likewise in stantaneously brought into its other position (tiltable snap mechanism). The upper sides of the upper jaws 25a and 25b are provided with inclined surfaces 26c and 26 d which cooperate with the actuating device now to be described.

This actuating device is mounted on the stationary breast beam of the loom frame and includes two mounting legs 31 of leaf spring metal. These leaf spring legs 31 permit a certain elastic yielding of the device when abutment roller 32 of this device engages a ramp 26d. This abutment roller 32 is carried by a cantilever 33 which in turn is mounted on the baseplate 34 of the device. This baseplate 34 furthermore carries a guiding arm 35 having one end face designed as a V-shaped notch for guiding the wire extending from a weft supply and feeding device to the edge of fabric 10. Face 32 extends in a direction toward the sley slightly beyond the edge of roller 32. In addition thereto, that side of the baseplate 34 which is located opposite said cantilever 33 has connected thereto an arm 36 with a kind of barbed hook 36a.

The breast beam has pivotally mounted thereon at 38 a wire arm 37 held between flanges at an end to prevent arm 37 from moving to a horizontal position through the action of spring 39 when the sley moves to its rearward most position. This arm 37 is by means of the spring 39 urged into a position in which the protruding arm portion 37b engages the sley 16 and is by the latter taken along in the direction of the arrow A and tilted. During this operation, a further ann section 37a grasps the other weft wire 14 which is next to be inserted and is still under tension between the weft feeding and supply and the edge of fabric 10 and exerts an additional tension or forward force thereto. The wire 14 is guided in a first wire guide 40 located on one side of the gripper 25b and 26b and by means of a V-shaped notch in the face of arm 35 which is located on the opposite side of said gripper. Said guides 40 and 35 along with the action of arm 37 act to place said wire 14 into a position so as to be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the shuttle 17 and in alignment with the opening between jaws 25b and 26b. During the further advancement of the sley 16 in the direction of the arrow A, the arm section 37a moves a portion of weft wire 14 between guide 35 and the edge of fabric 10 behind the barbed hook 36.

The wire loom with the above-described gripper 26 and operating device operates in the following manner. It may be assumed that the shuttle 17, which in FIGS. 2-4 is shown in a still more simplified manner, has been shot through the shed and has on the sley 16 arrived at its end position relative picker 19 which is held by the picker stick 18. The shuttle 17 has during this operation brought along the first weft wire 13 which is held in the closed clamping jaws a, 26a (FIG. 1), said wire 13 ending directly adjacent said wire clamp 25a, 26a. The sley 16 now starts its beating movement in the direction of the arrow A and carries along the shuttle 17 together with the gripping device 22 thereon. Eventually the inclined surface moves below the roller 32. The upper clamping jaw 26b of the open wire clamp 25b, 26b is depressed. The roller 29 then pushes the pushrod in a direction against the thrust of the spring, and the said pushrod 30 in its turn, after passing beyond the snap position, pushes the wire clamp 25b, 26b by a tilting snap movement into the closed position (FIG. 3), while the lever 26 is tilted. The other wire clamp 25a, 26a moves to its open position, and the end of the wire 13 drops freely downwardly.

During the above-mentioned operation that portion of the other weft wire 14 which extends between the weft feeding means and the edge of fabric 10 has been grasped by the gripper angle 37a of the arm 37 which has been pivoted by the tiltable sley 16 and has been deviated into the range behind the barbed hook 36a to position said weft portion therebetween. That portion of wire 14 between guides and remains parallel to the longitudinal direction of the shuttle I7 and therefore passes into the open advanced mouth of the wire clamp 25b, 26b which in its turn at the end of the movement of the gripper device 22 effected in the direction of the arrow A is caused to close in the described manner by moving below the inclined surface 26 underneath the roller 32 and now holds fast the weft wire 14 which comes from the wire feeding device.

If now in conformity with the working of the loom, the sley 16 returns to its starting position from the end position shown in FIG. 3 by moving in the direction of the arrow B, the wire clamp 25, 26 which holds the wire 14 will pull the same against the bottom of the barbed hook 36 which bottom is designed in the form of a cutting edge whereby the weft wire 14 is cut off. That portion of the cutoff weft wire 14 which is adjacent the fabric drops down freely. The other end of the wire 14 which is fed by the feeding device and is held by the wire clamp 25b, 26b is now by actuation of the picker 19 withdrawn from the wire feeding device by means of the gripper shuttle 17 and is fed through the shed over the entire width of the fabric.

On the other side of the loom according to FIG. 5 where also a second feeding device has been mounted, the just described operation takes place in an imagelike modification on the gripper device 22 and the actuating device 20 mounted on said other side.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular arrangement shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a loorn for weaving wire cloth; a sley, a gripper shuttle picked across the loom from side to side along the sley, said shuttle having a first end position and a second end position at the ends of the sley, said shuttle drawing first weft wires from a first supply thereof located on one side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said other side of the loom and drawing second weft wires from a second supply thereof located on the other side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said one side of the loom, first and second wire clamps on said shuttle for gripping the said first and second weft wires respectively, clamp actuating means at each side of said loom operable in response to the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley to close the one of said wire clamps associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while simultaneously opening the other wire clamp, guide means at each side of said loom supporting the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof in such position that the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley will at the respective side of the loom engage the weft wire in its relative wire clamp before actuation of the wire clamps by said clamp actuating means, cutting means operable in response to the rearward movement of the shuttle during the returning motion of the sley to cut off the clamped weft wire extending between the fabric edge and the adjacent supply between the wire clamp and the fabric edge, and detent means on said shuttle releasably retaining said wire clamps in each of their open and closed positions.

2. A loom according to claim 1, in which said wire clamps are spaced in the longitudinal direction of said shuttle and comprise first jaws stationary on the shuttle and second jaws movable toward and away from said first jaws, a lever supported about the middle to said shuttle and having one of said second jaws at each end so tilting of the lever will close one wire clamp while opening the other, said detent means comprising overcenter snap acting means on the shuttle operatively engaging the lever for urging the lever toward each of its tilted positions when the lever is moved past center toward a respective position, and said clamp actuating means comprising cam means operatively connected to said lever and abutment means at each side of the loom engageable with one of said cam means respectively when the shuttle on the sley approaches its beating-up position to tilt the lever in a direction to close the wire clamp pertaining to the adjacent supply of weft wire while opening the other clamp.

3. A loom according to claim 2, in which said jaws project laterally from the shuttle on the side toward which the shuttle moves with the sley to its beat up position.

d. In a loom for weaving wire cloth; a sley, a gripper shuttle picked across the loom from side to side along the sley, said shuttle having a first end position and a second end position at the ends of the sley, said shuttle drawing first weft wires from a first supply thereof located on one side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said other side of the loom and drawing second weft wires from a second supply thereof located on the other side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said one side of the loom, first and second wire clamps on said shuttle for gripping the said first and second weft wires respectively, clamp actuating means at each side of said loom operable in response to the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up motion of the sley to close the one of said wire clamps associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while simultaneously opening the other wire clamp, guide means at each side of said loom supporting the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof in such position that the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up motion of the sley at the respective side of the loom will engage the weft wire in its relative wire clamp before actuating of the wire clamps by said clamp actuating means, cutting means operable in response to the rearward movement of the shuttle during the returning motion of the sley to cut off the clamped weft wire extending between the fabric edge and the adjacent supply between the wire clamp and the fabric edge in the fell thereof, detent means on said shuttle releasably retaining said wire clamps being spaced in the longitudinal direction of said shut tle and comprising first jaws stationary on the shuttle and second jaws movable toward and away from said first jaws, a lever supported in about the middle to said shuttle and having one of said second jaws at each end so tilting of the lever will close one wire clamp while opening the other, said detent means comprising overcenter snap acting means on the shuttle operatively engaging the lever for urging the lever toward each of its tilted positions when the lever is moved past center toward a respective position, said clamp actuating means comprising cam means operatively connected to said lever and abutment means at each side of the loom engageable with one of said cam means respectively when the sley approaches its beating-up position to tilt the lever in a direction to close the wire clamp associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while opening the other wire clamp, said jaws projecting laterally from the shuttle on the side toward which the shuttle moves with the sley to its beat-up position, said cam means comprising a cam surface formed on each of said second jaws and said abutment means comprises a cam follower at each side of the loom positioned to engage a respective one of said cam surfaces.

5. A loom according to claim l, in which said guide means support the pertaining weft wires adjacent said cam followers, so that upon lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof will be received in its respective wire clamp before the said cam follower actuates the clamp to closed position.

s. A loom according to claim 4! in which said cutoff means comprises a blade having a cutting edge facing away from the shuttle, said blade being located between the region of the weft wire to be gripped by the respective wire clamp and the shed, and means operated simultaneously with the movement of said shuttle with the beating-up sley for engaging the weft wire from the adjacent supply over said blade whereupon, when the shuttle moves back with the sley, the weft wire engaged over the blade will be clamped in its associated wire clamp and will be cut off by the blade.

7. A loom according to claim t in which said guide means comprises a guide element on each side of the associated cam follower so as to support the region of the wire to be gripped by the associated wire clamp in a straight line.

8. A loom according to claim 6 in which said guide means comprises a guide element at each side of the associated cam follower with the guide element on the supply side of each cam follower being in the form of an eye while the guide ele ment on the other side of each cam follower is in the form of a notch opening toward said shuttle, said cutting edge of said blade being disposed farther away from said shuttle than said notch so the placing of the said weft wire over said blade will hold the wire in said notch during the gripping of the wire by its associated wire clamp.

9. A loom according to claim l, in which said wire clamps are spaced in the longitudinal direction of said shuttle and comprise first jaws stationary on the shuttle and second jaws movable toward and away from said first jaws, clampclosureassuring means provided with respect to said shuttle and having one of said jaws adjacent thereto so there will be closing of one wire clamp while opening the other, said detent means comprising shiftable means on the shuttle operatively engaging the clamp-closure-assuring means for urging the latter toward each of opposite positions when one of the latter is moved toward a respective position, and said clamp actuating means comprising cam means operatively connected to said clamp-closure-assuring means and abutment means at each side of the loom engageable with one of said cam means respectively when the shuttle on the sley approaches its beating-up position to move the clamp-closure-assuring means in a direction to close the wire clamp pertaining to the adjacent supply of weft wire while opening the other wire clamp.

lltl). In a loom for weaving wire cloth; a sley, a gripper shuttle picked across the loom from side to side along the sley, said shuttle having a first end position and a second end position at the ends of the sley, said shuttle drawing first weft wires from a first supply thereof located on one side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said other side of the loom and draw ing second weft wires from a second supply thereof located on the other side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said one side of the loom, first and second wire clamps on said shuttle for gripping the said first and second weft wires respectively, clamp actuating means at each side of said loom operable in response to the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up motion of the sley to close the one of said wire clamps associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while simultaneously opening the other wire clamp, guide means at each side of said loom supporting the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof in such position that the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up motion of the sley at the respective side of the loom will engage the weft wire in its associated wire clamp before actuation of the wire clamps by said clamp actuating means, cutting means operable in response to the movement of the shuttle during the returning motion of the sley to cut off the weft wire extending between the fabric edge and the adjacent supply between the wire clamp and the fabric edge in the fell thereof, detent means on said shuttle releasably retaining said wire clamps in each of their open and closed positions, said wire clamps being spaced in the longitudinal direction of said shuttle and comprising first jaws stationary on the shuttle and second jaws movable toward and away from said first jaws, a clamp-closure assuring means supported by said shuttle and having one of said second jaws at each end so tilting of said clamp-closure assuring means will close one wire clamp while opening the other, said detent means comprising shiftable means on the shuttle operatively engaging said clamp-closure assuring means for urging said clamp-closure assuring means toward each of its tilted positions when said ciamp-closure assuring means is moved toward a respective position, said clamp actuating means comprising cam means operatively connected to said clamp-closure assuring means and abutment means at each side of the loom engageable with one of said cam means respectively when the sley approaches its beating-up position to move said clamp-closure assuring means in a direction to close the wire clamp associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while opening the other wire clamp.

iii. in a loom for weaving wire cloth; a sley, a gripper shuttle picked across the loom from side to side along the sley, said shuttle having a first end position and a second end position at the ends of the sley, said shuttle drawing first weft wires from a first supply thereof located on one side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said other side of the loom and drawing second weft wires from a second supply thereof located on the other side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said one side of the loom, first and second wire clamps on said shuttle for gripping the said first and second weft wires respectively during the movement of the shuttle across the loom from side to side along the sley and in addition during the consecutive lateral movement of the shuttle on the sley during the beating-up stroke of the sley, clamp actuating means at each side of said loom operable in response to the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley to close the one of said wire clamps associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while simultaneously opening the other wire clamp, guide means at each side of said loom supporting the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof in such position that the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley will at the respective side of the loom engage the weft wire in its relative wire clamp before actuation of the wire clamps by said clamp actuating means, cutting means operable in response to the rearward movement of the shuttle during the returning motion of the sley to cut off the clamped weft wire extending between the fabric edge and the adjacent supply between the wire clamp and the fabric edge, and detent means on said shuttle releasably retaining said wire clamps in each of their open and closed positions.

12. In a loom for weaving wire cloth; a sley, a gripper shuttle picked across the loom from side to side along the sley, said shuttle having a first end position and a second end position at the ends of the sley, said shuttle drawing first weft wires from a first supply thereof located on one side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said other side of the loom and drawing second weft wires from a second supply thereof located on the other side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said one side of the loom, first and second wire clamps on said shuttle for gripping the said first and second weft wires respectively, clamp actuating means at each side of said loom operable in response to the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley to close the one of said wire clamps associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while simultaneously opening the other wire clamp, guide means at each side of said loom supporting the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof in such position that the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley will at the respective side of the loom engage the weft wire in its relative wire clamp before actuation of the wire clamps by said clamp actuating means, cutting means operable in response to the movement of the shuttle during the motion of the sley to cut off the clamped weft wire extending between the fabric edge and the adjacent supply between the wire clamp and the fabric edge, and detent means on said shuttle releasably retaining said wire clamps in each of their open and closed positions.

13. in a loom for weaving wire cloth; a sley, a gripper shuttle picked across the loom from side to side along the sley, said shuttle having a first end position and a second end position at the ends of the sley, said shuttle drawing first weft wires from a first supply thereof located on one side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said other side of the loom and drawing second weft wires from a second supply thereof located on the other side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said one side of the loom, first and second wire clamps on said shuttle for gripping the said first and second weft wires respectively during the movement of the shuttle across the loom from side to side along the sley and in addition during the consecutive lateral movement of the shuttle on the sley during the beating-up stroke of the sley, clamp actuating means at each side of said loom operable in response to the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley to close the one of said wire clamps associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while simultaneously opening the other wire clamp, guide means at each side of said loom supporting the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof in such position that the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley will at the respective side of the loom engage the weft wire in its relative wire clamp before actuation of the wire clamps by said clamp actuating means, cutting means operable in response to the movement of the shuttle during the motion of the sley to cut off the clamped weft wire extending between the wire clamp and the fabric edge, and detent means on said shuttle releasably retaining said wire clamps in each of their open and closed positions. 

1. In a loom for weaving wire cloth; a sley, a gripper shuttle picked across the loom from side to side along the sley, said shuttle having a first end position and a second end position at the ends of the sley, said shuttle drawing first weft wires from a first supply thereof located on one side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said other side of the loom and drawing second weft wires from a second supply thereof located on the other side of thE loom when the shuttle is moving toward said one side of the loom, first and second wire clamps on said shuttle for gripping the said first and second weft wires respectively, clamp actuating means at each side of said loom operable in response to the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley to close the one of said wire clamps associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while simultaneously opening the other wire clamp, guide means at each side of said loom supporting the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof in such position that the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley will at the respective side of the loom engage the weft wire in its relative wire clamp before actuation of the wire clamps by said clamp actuating means, cutting means operable in response to the rearward movement of the shuttle during the returning motion of the sley to cut off the clamped weft wire extending between the fabric edge and the adjacent supply between the wire clamp and the fabric edge, and detent means on said shuttle releasably retaining said wire clamps in each of their open and closed positions.
 2. A loom according to claim 1, in which said wire clamps are spaced in the longitudinal direction of said shuttle and comprise first jaws stationary on the shuttle and second jaws movable toward and away from said first jaws, a lever supported about the middle to said shuttle and having one of said second jaws at each end so tilting of the lever will close one wire clamp while opening the other, said detent means comprising overcenter snap acting means on the shuttle operatively engaging the lever for urging the lever toward each of its tilted positions when the lever is moved past center toward a respective position, and said clamp actuating means comprising cam means operatively connected to said lever and abutment means at each side of the loom engageable with one of said cam means respectively when the shuttle on the sley approaches its beating-up position to tilt the lever in a direction to close the wire clamp pertaining to the adjacent supply of weft wire while opening the other clamp.
 3. A loom according to claim 2, in which said jaws project laterally from the shuttle on the side toward which the shuttle moves with the sley to its beat up position.
 4. In a loom for weaving wire cloth; a sley, a gripper shuttle picked across the loom from side to side along the sley, said shuttle having a first end position and a second end position at the ends of the sley, said shuttle drawing first weft wires from a first supply thereof located on one side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said other side of the loom and drawing second weft wires from a second supply thereof located on the other side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said one side of the loom, first and second wire clamps on said shuttle for gripping the said first and second weft wires respectively, clamp actuating means at each side of said loom operable in response to the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up motion of the sley to close the one of said wire clamps associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while simultaneously opening the other wire clamp, guide means at each side of said loom supporting the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof in such position that the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up motion of the sley at the respective side of the loom will engage the weft wire in its relative wire clamp before actuating of the wire clamps by said clamp actuating means, cutting means operable in response to the rearward movement of the shuttle during the returning motion of the sley to cut off the clamped weft wire extending between the fabric edge and the adjacent supply between the wire clamp and the fabric edge in the fell thereof, detent means on said shuttle releasably retaining said wire clamps being spaced in the longitudinal direction of said shuttle and cOmprising first jaws stationary on the shuttle and second jaws movable toward and away from said first jaws, a lever supported in about the middle to said shuttle and having one of said second jaws at each end so tilting of the lever will close one wire clamp while opening the other, said detent means comprising overcenter snap acting means on the shuttle operatively engaging the lever for urging the lever toward each of its tilted positions when the lever is moved past center toward a respective position, said clamp actuating means comprising cam means operatively connected to said lever and abutment means at each side of the loom engageable with one of said cam means respectively when the sley approaches its beating-up position to tilt the lever in a direction to close the wire clamp associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while opening the other wire clamp, said jaws projecting laterally from the shuttle on the side toward which the shuttle moves with the sley to its beat-up position, said cam means comprising a cam surface formed on each of said second jaws and said abutment means comprises a cam follower at each side of the loom positioned to engage a respective one of said cam surfaces.
 5. A loom according to claim 4, in which said guide means support the pertaining weft wires adjacent said cam followers, so that upon lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof will be received in its respective wire clamp before the said cam follower actuates the clamp to closed position.
 6. A loom according to claim 4 in which said cutoff means comprises a blade having a cutting edge facing away from the shuttle, said blade being located between the region of the weft wire to be gripped by the respective wire clamp and the shed, and means operated simultaneously with the movement of said shuttle with the beating-up sley for engaging the weft wire from the adjacent supply over said blade whereupon, when the shuttle moves back with the sley, the weft wire engaged over the blade will be clamped in its associated wire clamp and will be cut off by the blade.
 7. A loom according to claim 4 in which said guide means comprises a guide element on each side of the associated cam follower so as to support the region of the wire to be gripped by the associated wire clamp in a straight line.
 8. A loom according to claim 6 in which said guide means comprises a guide element at each side of the associated cam follower with the guide element on the supply side of each cam follower being in the form of an eye while the guide element on the other side of each cam follower is in the form of a notch opening toward said shuttle, said cutting edge of said blade being disposed farther away from said shuttle than said notch so the placing of the said weft wire over said blade will hold the wire in said notch during the gripping of the wire by its associated wire clamp.
 9. A loom according to claim 1, in which said wire clamps are spaced in the longitudinal direction of said shuttle and comprise first jaws stationary on the shuttle and second jaws movable toward and away from said first jaws, clamp-closure-assuring means provided with respect to said shuttle and having one of said jaws adjacent thereto so there will be closing of one wire clamp while opening the other, said detent means comprising shiftable means on the shuttle operatively engaging the clamp-closure-assuring means for urging the latter toward each of opposite positions when one of the latter is moved toward a respective position, and said clamp actuating means comprising cam means operatively connected to said clamp-closure-assuring means and abutment means at each side of the loom engageable with one of said cam means respectively when the shuttle on the sley approaches its beating-up position to move the clamp-closure-assuring means in a direction to close the wire clamp pertaining to the adjacent supply of weft wire while opening thE other wire clamp.
 10. In a loom for weaving wire cloth; a sley, a gripper shuttle picked across the loom from side to side along the sley, said shuttle having a first end position and a second end position at the ends of the sley, said shuttle drawing first weft wires from a first supply thereof located on one side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said other side of the loom and drawing second weft wires from a second supply thereof located on the other side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said one side of the loom, first and second wire clamps on said shuttle for gripping the said first and second weft wires respectively, clamp actuating means at each side of said loom operable in response to the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up motion of the sley to close the one of said wire clamps associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while simultaneously opening the other wire clamp, guide means at each side of said loom supporting the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof in such position that the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up motion of the sley at the respective side of the loom will engage the weft wire in its associated wire clamp before actuation of the wire clamps by said clamp actuating means, cutting means operable in response to the movement of the shuttle during the returning motion of the sley to cut off the weft wire extending between the fabric edge and the adjacent supply between the wire clamp and the fabric edge in the fell thereof, detent means on said shuttle releasably retaining said wire clamps in each of their open and closed positions, said wire clamps being spaced in the longitudinal direction of said shuttle and comprising first jaws stationary on the shuttle and second jaws movable toward and away from said first jaws, a clamp-closure assuring means supported by said shuttle and having one of said second jaws at each end so tilting of said clamp-closure assuring means will close one wire clamp while opening the other, said detent means comprising shiftable means on the shuttle operatively engaging said clamp-closure assuring means for urging said clamp-closure assuring means toward each of its tilted positions when said clamp-closure assuring means is moved toward a respective position, said clamp actuating means comprising cam means operatively connected to said clamp-closure assuring means and abutment means at each side of the loom engageable with one of said cam means respectively when the sley approaches its beating-up position to move said clamp-closure assuring means in a direction to close the wire clamp associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while opening the other wire clamp.
 11. In a loom for weaving wire cloth; a sley, a gripper shuttle picked across the loom from side to side along the sley, said shuttle having a first end position and a second end position at the ends of the sley, said shuttle drawing first weft wires from a first supply thereof located on one side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said other side of the loom and drawing second weft wires from a second supply thereof located on the other side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said one side of the loom, first and second wire clamps on said shuttle for gripping the said first and second weft wires respectively during the movement of the shuttle across the loom from side to side along the sley and in addition during the consecutive lateral movement of the shuttle on the sley during the beating-up stroke of the sley, clamp actuating means at each side of said loom operable in response to the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley to close the one of said wire clamps associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while simultaneously opening the other wire clamp, guide means at each side of said loom supporting the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof in such position that the lateral movement oF the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley will at the respective side of the loom engage the weft wire in its relative wire clamp before actuation of the wire clamps by said clamp actuating means, cutting means operable in response to the rearward movement of the shuttle during the returning motion of the sley to cut off the clamped weft wire extending between the fabric edge and the adjacent supply between the wire clamp and the fabric edge, and detent means on said shuttle releasably retaining said wire clamps in each of their open and closed positions.
 12. In a loom for weaving wire cloth; a sley, a gripper shuttle picked across the loom from side to side along the sley, said shuttle having a first end position and a second end position at the ends of the sley, said shuttle drawing first weft wires from a first supply thereof located on one side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said other side of the loom and drawing second weft wires from a second supply thereof located on the other side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said one side of the loom, first and second wire clamps on said shuttle for gripping the said first and second weft wires respectively, clamp actuating means at each side of said loom operable in response to the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley to close the one of said wire clamps associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while simultaneously opening the other wire clamp, guide means at each side of said loom supporting the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof in such position that the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley will at the respective side of the loom engage the weft wire in its relative wire clamp before actuation of the wire clamps by said clamp actuating means, cutting means operable in response to the movement of the shuttle during the motion of the sley to cut off the clamped weft wire extending between the fabric edge and the adjacent supply between the wire clamp and the fabric edge, and detent means on said shuttle releasably retaining said wire clamps in each of their open and closed positions.
 13. In a loom for weaving wire cloth; a sley, a gripper shuttle picked across the loom from side to side along the sley, said shuttle having a first end position and a second end position at the ends of the sley, said shuttle drawing first weft wires from a first supply thereof located on one side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said other side of the loom and drawing second weft wires from a second supply thereof located on the other side of the loom when the shuttle is moving toward said one side of the loom, first and second wire clamps on said shuttle for gripping the said first and second weft wires respectively during the movement of the shuttle across the loom from side to side along the sley and in addition during the consecutive lateral movement of the shuttle on the sley during the beating-up stroke of the sley, clamp actuating means at each side of said loom operable in response to the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley to close the one of said wire clamps associated with the adjacent supply of weft wire while simultaneously opening the other wire clamp, guide means at each side of said loom supporting the weft wire leading from the adjacent supply thereof in such position that the lateral movement of the shuttle during the beating-up stroke of the sley will at the respective side of the loom engage the weft wire in its relative wire clamp before actuation of the wire clamps by said clamp actuating means, cutting means operable in response to the movement of the shuttle during the motion of the sley to cut off the clamped weft wire extending between the wire clamp and the fabric edge, and detent means on said shuttle releasably retaining said wire clamps in each of their open and closed positions. 